FARC insists on delegation for former Marine's release

Jul. 30, 2013 - 06:00AM
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HAVANA — Colombia’s largest guerrilla army is reiterating its willingness to free a former U.S. Marine it captured last month but insists that the government send a high-level delegation to retrieve him.

Ricardo Tellez is the nom de guerre of a commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. Tellez said the ball is “in the government’s court.”

But Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has said he would not send public figures to pick up Kevin Scott Sutay and vowed not to let the FARC make a media spectacle of his release.

He asked the rebels to hand Sutay over to the International Red Cross.

U.S. officials say Sutay was in Colombia as a tourist.

Tellez spoke Tuesday in Havana, where the FARC and Colombia’s government are holding peace talks.